So, I’ve been a bad blogger. Clearly, as the beginning of her post indicates, Jess wrote this before the holidays began. And I forgot about it. But, let’s look at it this way. The holidays are a busy time and you probably wouldn’t have seen that post, but now that everyone is back to work, you will see this one, then you will enjoy this AMAZING book and your life will be better. Enjoy!
The Family Fang, Kevin Wilson
The holiday season is currently breathing (heavily) down my neck and I thought, Hey, let’s read a book about a totally bizarro family to make myself feel better about my own gang of weirdos. That book, my friends, is The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson. I’ve described this book to friends as “weird in the best way possible.” And not to worry, Fang is just the family’s last name. There isn’t a single mention of vampires. Or werewolves, just in case you were wondering.
Annie and Buster are the Fang siblings. Their adult lives are simultaneously in ruins and they’re each forced to return to their childhood home. Their parents, Caleb and Camille, are performance artists who, back in the day, worried that having children would hinder their artistic process. Offspring could mean the end of their careers. But one day, when Buster and Annie are little, Caleb is inspired to incorporate the kids into their performances. They go on to secretly record a series of mall “performances” which basically consist of the kids causing a huge scene, getting everyone’s attention and creating oodles of tension and awkward social interactions. For example, the kids pose as a band and sing (horribly off-key) to their mall audience. Once a big crowd gathers, Caleb and Camille, posing as strangers, begin to heckle the band. Various other members of the audience either defend the kids, or join in the heckling. The only way Annie and Buster manage to dodge these performances, is to grow up and move far away. So, when they return, things get interesting.
See? Your family was never this weird. Or humiliating. You can read this book, enjoy its quirky-ness, laugh and cringe along with the Fangs’ mishaps while (just maybe) feeling a surge of affection and appreciation for your very own crew of oddballs. xo,
J.